Kingdom of Hithlum
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Now rumour came to the camp in Hithlum of the march of Fingolfin and those that followed him, who had crossed the Grinding Ice, and all the world lay then in wonder at the coming of the Moon. But as the host of Fingolfin marched into Mithrim the Sun rose flaming in the West; and Fingolfin unfurled his blue and silver banners, and blew his horns, and flowers sprang beneath his marching feet, and the ages of the starts were ended. At the uprising of the great light the servants of Morgoth fled into Angband, and Fingolfin passed unopposed through the fastness of Dor Daedeloth while his foes hid beneath the earth. Then the Elves smote upon the gates of Angband, and the challenge of their trumpets shook the towers of Thangorodrim; and Maedhros heard them amid his torment and cried aloud, but his voice was lost in the echoes of the stone.
But Fingolfin, being of other temper than Fëanor, and wary of the wiles of Morgoth, withdrew from Dor Daedeloth and turned back towards Mithrim, for he had heard tidings that there he should find the sons of Fëanor, and he desired also to have the shield of the Mountains of Shadow while his people rested and grew strong; for he had seen the strength of Angband and thought not that it would fall to the sound of trumpets only. Therefor coming at length to Hithlum he made his first camp and dwelling by the northern shores Lake Mithrim.
The Silmarillion, Chapter 13 - Of the Return of the Noldor
Fingolfin and his son Fingon held Hithlum, and the most part of Fingolfin's folk dwelt in Mithrim about the shores of the great lake; to Fingon was assigned Dor-Lómin, that lay to the west of the mountains of Mithrim. But their chief fortress was at Eithel Sirion in the east of Ered Wethrin whence they kept watch upon Ard-galen; and their cavalry rode upon that plain even to the shadow of Thangorodrim, for from few their horses had increased swiftly, and the grass of Ard-galen was rich and green. If those horses many of the sires came from Valinor, and they were given to Fingolfin by Maedhros in atonement of his losses, for they had been carried by ship to Losgar.
The Silmarillion, chapter 14 - Of Beleriand and its Realms
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The most densely populated and strongest of the Noldo kingdoms, the High King of the Noldor in Middle Earth ever keeps his watchful gaze upon the plains of Ard-galen for any signs of an attack from Thangorodrim. The mountains of Ered Wethrin and the great cold wastes of the northern reaches of the kingdom protect the populated areas to the south. While mostly Noldor live here, a great deal of Atani, humans, live here as well. These men of Hador Lórindol's house (the great grandson of Marach) were closely related to the men of Bëor's house and they were steadfast in their loyalty to the lords of the Noldor.
The High King rules over all Noldor, yet many of the sons of Fëanor's consider them kin and friends - yet do not follow the house of Fingolfin willingly. Despite their political disputes and struggles, the House of Fëanor and the House of Fingolfin both recognize that the true threat lies to the North and that any infighting between the Noldor would spell their doom. With every year the darkness grows and Morgoth is growing more bold for each passing year, testing the defenses of the Noldor more and more frequently. With increasing difficulty the Noldor hold the line and protect those who hide between their strongholds and mighty armies - will the High King drop his guard and let the onslaught of Angband's forces begin? Or will he turn the tide in the war and go on the offensive in an attempt to reclaim the Silmarils and defeat the Dark Lord? Only time will tell.
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Royal Dynasty of Hithlum
"Then Fingolfin beheld (as it seemed to him) the utter ruin of the Noldor, and the defeat beyond redress of all their houses; and filled with wrath and despair he mounted Rochallor his great horse and rode forth alone, and none might restrain him. He passed over Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust, and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking Oromë himself was come; for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar. Thus he came alone to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. And Morgoth came."- The Silmarillion, p. 153
The name Fingolfin is a Sindarin form of his name from Valinor. There he was called by his Quenya name Nolofinwë, or "wise Finwë".
"His valour was as a fire yet steadfast as the hills of stone; wise he was and skilled in voice and hand; troth and justice he loved and bore goodwill to all, both Elves and Men, hating Morgoth only; he sought not his own, neither power nor glory, and death was his reward." -The Lost Road (History of Middle-earth Vol. 5)
Fingon's name was a Sindarin translation of the Quenya name Findekáno which translates to "Skilled hero". To put a matter to rest: Earlier versions of the Silmarillion stated that Fingon had one son, Ereinion Gil-Galad which was changed later by Christopher Tolkien, in current (edited) versions of the book Fingon has no children.
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The Armies of the High King and their Regiments
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Noldor Militia - Nati Noldor
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Steppe Ranger - Tirien Munniddan
It is not once that they have stopped invasions from the open fields of the north when Morgoth has sent armies and raiding parties into the heart of Hithlum.
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Noldor Archer - Nessaa noldor
These soldiers, armed with strong longbows, chainmail and helmets of fine elven making - have always been a thorn in Morgoth's side. Many of these archers have trained for the most part of their lives at archery and their skill is unparallelled when comparing themselves to other races. Only the Númenoreans in ages later could boast with nearly equal skill but even then they were not the better marksmen. The skill of the Noldor with bow and arrow would remain legendary among all the races of Middle Earth until the end of times. In ages later, the dúnedain of Gondor would say that a man who was exceptionally good at archery probably had some elven blood flowing through his veins - and for some this would be true.
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Steppe Guardian - Tirien unitriel
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Noldor Man-at-arms - Orhen Militre
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Noldor Spearman - Orhen Sulfiress Mata
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Noldor Riders - Manve Sulfiress Mata
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Swiftwings of Hithlum - Manve Nessaa Efirata
Armed very lightly, these riders always knew that staying out of the fray of battle was crucial to their usefulness on the battlefield - however this had sometimes negative effects on their reputation. These archers, although incredibly skilled, were often laughed at by their fellow riders in the armies of Hithlum for cowardice on the field of battle. Although any such talk was strictly shut down by officers in the army, the bad reputation continued to spread until the regiments became something of a small joke amongst the infantrymen.
"There's not one warrior who flees battle faster than the Swiftwings of our armies" soldiers would say. The commanders and generals of the High King's armies knew however that the Noldor would not long stand without the aid and skill of these mounted warriors who wielded beautiful bows, and long they remained in favour of the King. In ages later, the Noldor would remember these warriors with reverence and would form new regiments of mounted archers in their younger kingdoms.
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Blacksky Riders - Hithlum Nessaa Andoarda
Often the orcs of Thangorodrim would see but a darkening of the sky and a few moments later they would lay dead. These riders were part of the professional army and not a part of the conscripted regiments of the High King, as such they did not live with the common folk of Hithlum but lived secluded lives in their military camps for a great part of their lives.
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Mithrim Lancers - Manve Sulfiress Hissimata
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Noldor Guard - Hithlum Orhen Nontroelldor
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BATTLE SCENES
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CREDITS
Concept: PaHer
Models: Krechet
Textures: PaHer for first set of tetures, Aruthiel for complete overhaul of said textures with high quality textures.
Family Portraits by: Aruthiel
Other Artwork by: PaHer
We would like to thank our fans who have for a long time awaited this preview, at long last it is released and we are a step closer to release. A special thanks is extended to Squeaks for her help on correcting small issues on the models!
Preview compiled by Aruthiel and PaHer
"First Age: Total War" (Hithlum preview)
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Originally Posted by ggggtotalwarrior
That is only one example, and if things sometimes look differently in the end-result and deviates from the intended concept, it is because sometimes the concept looks cool on paper, but not-so-much in-game (or making sense for that matter)
)
